For now, at least, P.J. Hairston will only be able to practice with the Tar Heels. But that’s still a step forward for the troubled star

CHAPEL HILL – P.J. Hairston has taken the first step toward regaining his status as member in good standing on the North Carolina basketball team.

Actually, it’s been a lot of steps.

More than anyone Roy Williams has ever coached, according to the man who suspended Hairston indefinitely in July after what proved to be the last in a series of off-the-court incidents that cast both the junior swingman and the Tar Heels program into a negative light.

But while all that extra running, along with several other punitive measures have helped Hairston “earn the opportunity” to practice with his teammates when UNC begins its official preseason preparations Friday, the issue of how many games he’ll have to sit out is still to be determined.

Not even Williams is sure what the number will be yet.

“I’m being honest,” he said Thursday at the Tar Heels’ annual media day. “You can choose to believe what you want, (but) I don’t know what I’m going to do with P.J. at the end.”

Of course, the decision may not ultimately be up to the coach or anyone else at UNC.

Because two of this summer’s most publicized incidents involved Hairston driving vehicles that were rented by someone other than himself, there’s a good chance that the NCAA will ultimately rule on what his final penance will be.

“I can’t speak for the NCAA is doing or not doing,” Williams said. “But I know that Roy Williams has a tremendous voice in what else is going to be done.”

Whether it turns out to be one game, 10 games or half the season, Hairston said in a statement that he has learned a lesson from his summer of discontent and the rigorous physical punishment that has followed.

“I know I let a lot of people down,” Hairston, who was not made available to the media in person Thursday, said. “I will do whatever I can to regain your faith in me and make sure that I represent the school and the Tar Heels with respect in the future.”

That’s easy for him to say now that he’s being given a second chance at playing for the Tar Heels, something he said was his “dream as a kid.” Ultimately, though, his sincerity will be judged over time by the way he carries himself both on and off the court.

No matter what, everyone deserves at least one second chance in life – especially when, as in Hairston’s case, the transgressions are the direct result of immaturity. This entire episode could turn out to be a benefit to both the youngster and his team if he really was “scared straight” by his brush with dismissal.

If his actions since his suspension are any indication, he’s at least heading in the right direction … and on his own two feet, not behind the wheel of a rented SUV.

Coach Roy Williams said he’s proud of the way P.J. Hairston has accepted his punishment this summer

“In coaching if you discipline someone, most of the time that means running, and P.J. has done more conditioning this preseason than any player I’ve ever had,” Williams said. “I know he’s wondering if he’s on a track scholarship. But I couldn’t be prouder of the way he’s done it and what he’s accomplished.

“He’s run 18 days more than anybody on our team. You don’t get credit for that, because some people don’t give credit to it. But when I asked one of my players if he thought he could do this, (he) said no. So I feel comfortable in the extent of what he’s done.”

So do his teammates, who like Hairston, are ready to put the episode behind them and start looking ahead to the 2013-14 season. The 6-foot-5½ Greensboro native led UNC in scoring at 14.6 points per game last season and was the team’s top 3-point shooting threat at 39.6 percent.

“All you can do is accept it,” senior guard Leslie McDonald said. “He apologized and he’s been working his tail off. I commend him on that because some guys wouldn’t do that. They would take the easy way out.”

There are some who will undoubtedly believe that Hairston is already getting off easy and will, regardless of how many games he’s forced to sit out. But they haven’t walked – or in this case, run – in his shoes. Or those belonging to Williams.

As big a step forward as returning to practice may be, Hairston’s journey toward full reinstatement is still far from complete.

Oh, and BTW, the first steps towards PJ’s reinstatement actually would involve declaring him ineligible, and then petitioning the NCAA to reinstate him. It is a concrete fact that he accepted impermissible benefits in the form of rental cars, which is a clear cut violation of NCAA rules. If UNCCH was truly interested in transparency and following the rules, they would have ruled him ineligible immediately when it was discovered that he accepted the rental cars from “Fats”. I guess the Heels are planning on following their script of letting him play, pleading ignorance of his violations, and then down they road they’ll just quietly vacate their wins with him on the team.